Sasuke & Sakura: Cat & Mouse Games Oneshot
by Lover of Stories 24
Summary: Sakura sneered. "You act like you've never felt blood on your face, Sasuke-kun."


_Author's Notes: Naruto fanfiction. Warning - If you do not like Naruto, you might not like this... Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. If I did, one would watch/read it... XD Anyways, please read and review! I appreciate constructive critiscism, but please do not leave comments like "dis suks" or "I h8 it." First of all, typing like that is very annoying. No offense. And secondly, please tell me specifically WHAT you hated about it. In the same respect, please do not leave a comment like "I love it!" I mean, it's short and sweet, I suppose, but it would be better if you told me specifically WHAT you liked about it. Thank you. Also, to any SasuSaku fans...I love you guys!!_

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Sakura gritted her teeth. Fine. If this was how he wanted it, so be it. But one thing she could say for sure: he would not be happy with the results. She would make sure of that. The pink-haired kunoichi sprang off through the air, feeling the wind rush about her and carry her forward. She hadn't felt so alive in ages. But here and now, as she was hunting down an old friend, everything seemed to matter so much more. She felt more free and powerful than ever. Her feet beat against the ground, faster and faster until she was nothing more than a blur of pink and red. Sasuke didn't know what he had gotten himself into. Releasing a barrage of shuriken ahead to make sure he knew she was close behind him, she curled her lips upward in a smile, in the mindset of a cat toying with a mouse it was chasing.

Sasuke deftly avoided the shuriken and kept going, frowning at how easily his old teammate was gaining on him. Well, it wasn't as if he was going at full speed, in any case. Shrugging, he quickened his pace and blew through the surrounding foliage with a ripple of leaves. He didn't want to deal with any more annoyances, not now. He was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop him. A shuriken embedded itself in his back, and he felt a cold trickle of blood run down his skin, sending shivers up his spine. Must have gotten careless. The raven-haired Uchiha turned just as his opponent slammed into him, thrusting a kunai into his flesh. He batted the girl off of him, sending her flying several feet into the air, than doubled over as the pain fully sunk in. Something was wrong. How could Sakura have gotten so fast or so strong? Before Sasuke had enough time to blink twice, the Haruno had already forced herself to her feet and was charging towards him with force to rival a hurricane, a frightening smile playing across her lips, from which she was licking blood.

Sakura grinned even harder at the look of astonishment Sasuke wore as she rammed him down into the ground, shoving his face into the dirt. "You said you couldn't have gotten stronger if you had stayed here in the village, playing ninja with us. You thought we were too weak. How's this...for weak?" Her gloved fist blasted into his awfully handsome face, connecting with a loud crack and a shower of crimson droplets.

Shock registered on Sasuke's face as he coughed up blood, his face stinging horribly as his ears rang from the impact.

Sakura sneered. "You act like you've never felt blood on your face, _Sasuke-kun_."

Sasuke winced. The way she said his name, mangling it so...it made him want to shrivel up and die.

"I'm a bit surprised your blood is even red...I would have expected it to be black," she said icily. Then her eyes gleamed wickedly. "You remind me so much of Itachi." She ground her foot down into his stomach, feeling something crunch underneath it.

An agonizing scream tore out of Sasuke's mouth, and tears dripped from his eyes, but they seemed so distant, as if they weren't part of him. It was almost like he was outside his body, watching the scene unfold. He wasn't the one screaming. The scream had formed itself, and pushed itself out. He could barely even feel the pain of his bones crunching under Sakura's sandal. Then a piece of what was happening clicked into place somewhere within his brain. That...that insolent brat of a kunoichi had pratically called him Itachi! His mind clouded over, boiling hot with rage. She had gone too far. She knew nothing of what he had gone through. She had no right to compare him to his brother.

Sasuke hurled the girl off of him, his eyes blazing a livid red with uncontainable fury. "How _dare_ you!?" he roared, his voice cracking in anger. "How dare you even think of comparing me to that monster? I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Sakura had smashed into a large tree trunk, toppling the tree over with the force of the collision. She could hardly feel her battered body, numb with intense pain. A wave of hot blood forced its way up her throat, and she choked on it as she staggered up onto her feet. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she whispered, swaying to the side as her vision blurred. "Thank you for saving me...from myself..." With that, she collapsed to the ground, beads of sweat forming on her brow.

Sasuke stared at her, then down at his hands, which were gathering together an insane amount of chakra to finish her off. Sighing heavily, he let it go, and the crackling matter dissipated as quickly as it had formed. He couldn't believe he had almost killed Sakura. A single tear made its way slowly down his left cheek. She was right. He really was like Itachi. He was such a monster.

Sakura's eyes snapped open, an impatient flash of green. "What's taking so long?" she demanded weakly, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Don't have the heart...to finish me off? I can fix that."

But Sasuke was already walking away, his back turned to her. Obviously, he thought that the fight was finished. "Perhaps some other time. When you are stronger," he said coldly over his shoulder.

Sakura let out a low growling noise from her throat. Oh, no he didn't! Their battles were far from over. She wasn't going to give up on him that easily, not when she had been training so hard and waiting for this day to come for what seemed like forever. She dug into her pouch and came up with a small, round white pill, which was promptly popped into her mouth and swallowed, despite the unpleasantly bitter taste. Within seconds, she felt freshly revived and was standing steadily. "Wait up, Sasuke-kun!" she called lightly, tearing after him. Yet again, she was a cat, after her prey...

The pink-haired ninja's mellifluous voice rang out and echoed hauntingly in Sasuke's ears. "Oh, no," he groaned, dodging another hail of shuriken.

Sakura materialized in front of him in a poof of smoky clouds, blocking his path. "You should have killed me while you had the chance. Baka!" she laughed, lunging for his neck.

Sasuke twisted his body and maneuvered himself just out of her grasp, panting inwardly. Back when he had been a member of Team 7, he had never thought to see the day when Sakura, of all people, would call him a baka. No, that was for Naruto, never for one such as himself. But things were different now...much, much different.


End file.
